1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door lock mechanism and more particularly to a vehicle door lock mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The Japanese Patent Disclosure No. Hei-2-96073 discloses a vehicle door lock mechanism having a door opening manually operable lever supporting a release bush which can be slidably moved by means of a locking lever between an unlock position and a locking position. In the unlock position, the release bush is positioned for engagement with a lift lever so that the latch mechanism can be actuated to open the door through an operation of the door opening lever, the movement of the door opening lever being transmitted through the release lever and the lift lever to the latch mechanism. In the lock position, the release bush is positioned so it cannot be engaged with the lift lever so that the latch mechanism cannot be actuated through the operation of the door opening lever.
As described, the conventional door lock mechanism includes a slidably mounted release bush which is slidably moved between an unlock position and a lock position. Therefore, the conventional door lock mechanism requires a space wherein the slidably mounted release bush can be accommodated both in the unlock position and the lock position. For this reason, the door lock mechanism of the conventional structure becomes bulky.